Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)

A New State Law: The “Sustainable Groundwater Management Act” (SGMA) took effect on January 1, 2015. SGMA provides for the preparation and implementation of Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSP) for High and Medium priority groundwater basins. Based on the 2014 Final Basin Prioritization by the State Department of Water Resources (DWR), there are five high and medium priority groundwater basins mapped in San Luis Obispo County:

Local Action: On January 13, 2015, the County of San Luis Obispo and Flood Control District Board adopted the SGMA Strategy. The overarching strategy seeks to “establish community focused Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSA) based on cooperative interagency and stakeholder relationships in order to comply with SGMA requirements.” It also describes specific actions such as seeking the maximum feasible funding through grant applications, supporting establishment of organizational agreements, and maximum feasible outreach to all potentially affected stakeholders.